For all his skills—and you would need a box of Sharpies to list them—Terrell Owens is better known for his antics outside the white lines than his accomplishments between them. Inappropriate touchdown celebrations, whining that he doesn’t see the ball enough, off-season reality TV shows, forcing the hand of management with threats and demands—none of this has earned him the admiration of fans. But if they knew of his tortured past and hard road to the NFL, Terrell might just win their hearts and shed the label of football’s most misunderstood star. This is his story…

GROWING
UP

Terrell Eldorado Owens
was born December 7, 1973, in Alexander City, Alabama. (Click
here for today's sports birthdays.) Terrell was the
first son to his mother, Marilyn Heard. Only 17 at the time, she was the
product of a dysfunctional family herself. Most of Marilyn's childhood
was spent in fear and silence. Her mother, Alice, was reportedly cruel to her
children (though this claim has been challenged.) Alice raised Marilyn in a confined environment with little love or support.
Marilyn wasn't allowed to play with other children and had to come home
directly after school. If she didn't, she would pay the price in welts
and bruises.

A man named L.C. Russell
lived across the street with his wife and kids. Russell was 14 years older
than Marilyn, but that didn't matter to either. She craved love and human
contact, and he became the father of Terrell. Despite the awkward situation,
Russell stayed in the neighborhood with his family.

Marilyn tried to keep
her pregnancy a secret from her mother and stepfather, but could only
do so for only so long. One night Marilyn's younger sister ran away to
live with an aunt. She remained at home with Terrell, who was just a baby.

After Terrell, Marilyn
had a girl named Latasha. She was married to the infant's father for a
brief time. Then in the early ’80s came two more babies—Sharmaine
and Victor—fathered by another man.

Terrell often stayed
with his grandmother Alice. She was as hard on him as she was on Marilyn.
Alice gave him a bike. but he could only ride it in the yard. Terrell was
permitted no spare time with his friends and couldn't watch TV. He was
also whipped regularly. For all the abuse, however, Terrell loved Alice,
viewing her as a second mother.

When Terrell was young,
Alice's marriage fell apart and she began drinking heavily. The youngster
often had to take care of her until she sobered up. One time Alice was
so intoxicated, she put her purse in the oven and burned up all her money.
Ironically, Alice seemed to lighten up as her alcohol problem worsened.
She even bought Terrell a go-cart, which they would drive on the highway.

When Terrell turned
12, he befriended a girl across the street. Her father noticed and confronted
him, warning Terrell that the girl was actually his half-sister. Thus
the youngster learned who his father was.

To
escape his tortured home life, Terrell became immersed in sports. Basketball,
baseball and swimming were his favorites. He also loved football, idolizing
San Francisco star Jerry Rice. Terrell played despite stark opposition from
Alice. Marilyn, by contrast, supported her son completely, knowing sports
made him happy.

Marilyn bounced from
job to job and often found herself back in Alice’s house with Terrell.
Her other children hated it there, however, so she eventually moved with
them into a beat-up two-bedroom home. Terrell stayed with Alice because
there simply wasn’t room for him in the cramped dwelling.

Terrell’s athletic
career began to blossom when he entered Benjamin Russell High School in
the fall of 1988. During his career, he lettered four times in football
and track. He also earned three letters in basketball and one in
baseball. Terrell actually didn't start for the football team until his
senior year. He even thought about quitting the sport, but his coaches
talked him out of it. They saw great talent in him, even if he didn’t
yet.

Tall, lanky and exceedingly
fast, Terrell had the skills to play Division I football. But recruiters
were slow to scout him. In fact, many got their first look at him only
because they were watching teammates who were also excellent prospects.
Few schools pursued Terrell as aggressively as the University of Tennessee
at Chattanooga. The coaches there had no problem with Terrell becoming
a multi-sport star. For the teenager, the opportunity to compete in more
than one sport at the college level was a major selling point.

ON
THE RISE

With the Moccasins,
Terrell flashed every last bit of his athletic ability. He lined up at
forward on the basketball team for three years, including five starts
for the UTC squad that qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1995. In his
senior year, he anchored the school’s 4x100 relay team.

It was on the gridiron,
however, where Terrell truly distinguished himself. An explosive receiver,
he wore number 80 in honor of his hero, Rice. In his freshman year, he
was used sparingly as a backup. In six games in 1992, Terrell caught six
passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. When the Mocs finished 2-9, head
coach Buddy Nix was shown the door.

Tommy West was hired
to replace to Nix the following season, but didn’t have a whole
lot to work with. One thing the new coach discovered was Terrell’s
gamebreaking ability.The soph emerged as a starter, seeing time in all
of UTC’s 11 games. For the season, he hauled in 38 passes for 724
yards and eight touchdowns. His biggest day came against Marshall, when
he set a school record with four TDs. The Moccasins improved to 4-7, but
just 2-6 in the Southern Conference. That wasn’t enough to save
West’s job.

Brought in to lead
the team in 1994 was Buddy Green. His top priority was strengthening
UTC’s porous defense. Green, however, could only do so much. The
Mocs struggled again, posting a record of 3-8. Like West, Green learned
to get the ball in Terrell’s hands as often as possible. The junior
developed into UTC’s main offensive weapon, posting 58 receptions
for 836 yards and six touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times
for 35 yards. His performance earned him second-team
All-Southern Conference honors.

Heading into the 1995
season, Green focused his offensive game plan around Terrell. For the first
time in his college career, he would be returning kickoffs, and he remained
the primary target in the passing attack. But enemy defenses were ready
for Terrell. He was regularly blanketied with double-coverage.

The increased attention
paid to Terrell resulted in a decline in his receiving numbers. In turn,
the Mocs suffered without their star receiver controlling the action and finished at 4-7. While Terrell's stats—43 receptions for 666 yards
and a touchdown—were more than respectable, they didn’t wow
anyone in the pro ranks.

Jerry Rice, 1991
Pro Set

Terrell figured to
be drafted, but he didn’t know how high he would go. At 6-3 and more than 200 pounds, he had the size to play in the NFL. Speed
wasn’t an issue, either. Terrell had honed his running technique
on the track and was also a handful to bring down after the reception.
Working against him was the conference he played in and the quality of
competition he faced.

Among
the teams interested in Terrell were the 49ers. A year earlier,
they had traded up to pick J.J Stokes out of UCLA. But when his development
stalled, San Francisco was again in the market for a receiver to bracket
Rice. For Terrell, the thought of taking the field with
his hero—not to mention quarterback Steve Young—was almost
too much to hope for. When the 49ers tabbed him in the third round as
the 89th pick overall, he could barely contain his excitement.

San Francisco entered
1996 campaign looking to recapture past glory. George Seifert remained
the head coach, and back in the fold in the front office was Bill Walsh.
Putting points on the board wasn’t going to be a problem. Shutting
down opponents didn’t appear to be one, either. Bryant Young was
among the league’s best on the defensive line, and Tim McDonald
and Merton Hanks were solid at the safety positions.

Terrell came into
training camp as a shy rookie. He took advice from Rice and other veterans,
but he didn't get involved with his teammates much beyond that. Working hard
and biding his time, Terrell waited for the chance to prove himself on
the field. Early on, he made his biggest impact on special teams. Against
the Atlanta Falcons in September, he recorded a season-high three tackles.

His opportunity on
offense presented itself when Stokes went down with an injury. In his
first start, in October game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Terrell caught
four passes for 94 yards, including 45-yard touchdown to tie game late
in fourth quarter. From there, he grew more comfortable and developed
into a valuable contributor. Over San Francisco’s final 10 games,
he posted 32 receptions for 488 yards and four touchdowns. By the campaign’s
end, he was second on the team to Rice in catches and receiving yards.

The Niners finished
second in the NFC West at 12-4, despite a rocky year by Young, who suffered
two concussions. Hoping for a run the playoffs, they were quickly dismissed
by the Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

Off San Francisco’s
disappointing postseason performance, the team continued to transform
itself. Seifert retired and was replaced by Steve Mariucci. With Young
turning 36 and Rice soon to celebrate his 35th birthday, age was the enemy
of the new head coach. To take pressure off the passing game, the Niners
signed running back Garrison Hearst. On defense, the front seven remained
formidable, while the secondary was no better than average.

When Rice and Young
got nicked up on the season’s opening Sunday, it looked like San
Francisco would be in for a long year. But Terrell was one of several
players to step up in their absence. The team jumped out to a 4-1 record
with the help of the league’s top defense—not to mention four
touchdown catches from Terrell. By November, he had become the Niners’
#1 receiver. Following in the footsteps of Rice, Terrell was usually most
dangerous after the catch. For the year, he almost doubled his rookie
numbers with 60 receptions for 936 yards and eight touchdowns.

San Francisco surged
to a 13-3 record, good for first in the NFC West. In the playoffs, they
faced off against Minnesota and drubbed the Vikings, 38-22. Terrell,
Rice and Stokes easily matched the production of Minnesota’s explosive trio of Randy Moss, Cris Carter
and Josh Reed. A week later, the Niners again ran smack into the Packers for the second year in a row,
losing 23-10 in the NFC Championship Game. It was their fifth defeat in
the last four years to Green Bay. Terrell did all he could, catching
six balls for 100 yards.

Terrell Owens, 1996 Crown Royal

Hopes were sky high in San Francisco in preparation for the 1998 campaign.
Rice returned, and Mariucci promised to open up the passing attack. Defensively,
Dana Stubblefield left via free agency, but Young and Junior Bryant were
still a terrific duo up front. In the defensive backfield, R.W. McQuarters,
San Francisco’s first-round pick from Oklahoma State, looked to
settle in at one of the corners.

The 49ers were unstoppable
to begin the season. With blowout wins in their first two games, they
ranked first in the NFL in rushing and passing. Terrell was leading the
way, literally and figuratively. Off to the best start of his career,
he escorted Hearst into the end zone on a 96-yard touchdown run for an
OT victory over the New York Jets. Two months later, he burned the other
Big Apple team, as the Niners rolled to a 31-7 shellacking of the Giants.
Terrell hauled in a 79-yard touchdown pass, while Hearst rushed for 166
yards. The victory pushed San Francisco to 9-3, securing the team's 16th straight
winning season.

The 49ers headed into
December in a dogfight with Atlanta for the division title. Terrell did
his part with a TD reception in each of his last eight games, but the
Falcons held on for first place in the NFC West. That set up a playoff
matchup with nemesis Green Bay. The situation grew desperate when the Packers
seized a fourth-quarter lead, 27-23. Young guided the Niners
downfield, and with three seconds left he crouched under center for a
final snap from the Packers' 25-year-line. After tripping over a teammate’s
foot, he spotted Terrell near the goal line and fired a strike. Terrell
got hammered as the ball reached him and somehow managed to hold on to
deliver a thrilling 30-27 win.

San Francisco next
travelled to Atlanta. Unfortunately, in one play the Niners’ Super Bowl aspirations were crushed.
Hearst was felled by a broken left fibula, and the team was
stripped of its best runner. The Falcons eeked out a 20-18
victory.

Topping San Francisco’s
1999 to-do list was finding Hearst’s replacement. The team signed
running backs Charlie Garner and Lawrence Phillips, and also added Charles
Haley to bolster the defense. But age and injuries continued to wear down
the 49ers. Young was out with a series of concussions, and Rice’s
yards-per-catch dipped to a career low. When Mariucci was forced to turn
to a pair of young quarterbacks, Jeff Garcia and Steve Stenstrom, the
team fell apart. After a 3-1 start, the Niners dropped eight straight
and ended with a dismal 4-12 record.

Terrell suffered through
the year like the rest of the team. At 60 receptions for 754 yards and
four touchdowns, his stats dropped in all areas. And with Young announcing
his retirement, Terrell realized he would have to develop chemistry with
a new starting quarterback, most likely Garcia.

MAKING
HIS MARK

Headin into the 2000 campaign, the San Francisco
brass tried to the plug the holes in the team’s secondary.
This was done through the draft again, with Ahmed Plummer from Ohio State
and Jason Webster from Texas A&M. They joined a defensive unit that
had a lot to prove.

The same could be
said of the offense. Garcia was handed the quarterback Job, Rice wasn’t
getting any younger, Garner’s durability was called into question,
and Terrell was coming off a sub-par year. Early in the year,
the Niners visited Dallas. San Francisco jumped out to a big lead and
built it further on a touchdown pass to Terrell. Unable to control his
emotions, he sprinted to the star in the middle of the field in a celebration
that clearly offended the Cowboys. When Terrell scored again and repeated
his actions, some on the opposing sideline had seen enough, including
George Teague, who blindsided the San Francisco receiver.

The 49ers were also
incensed. The team suspended Terrell for a week and fined him $24,000.
He reacted angrily to what he perceived as a lack of support from the
organization. The media was having a field day with his performance in
Dallas, and in his mind the club left him alone in his time of need.

From there, the season
degenerated for San Francisco. The Niners finished under .500 for the
second year in a row. The team was awful on defense, surrendering a whopping 422 points.

Bryant Young, 1994 Pacific

The
saving grace was Rice, who was showing few signs of slowing down in his
final campaign in a Niner jersey. The legendary receiver was showered
with one loud ovation after another in a December contest against the
Bears, his last in his home stadium. It was Terrell, however,
who stole the show. Running free all day long in the Chicago secondary, he logged an NFL-record
20 receptions for 283 yards. Terrell’s reputation aside, many viewed
the contest symbolically—the greatest pass-catcher of all time handing
the torch to the guy eager to assume that mantle.

When the year ended,
despite missing two games, Terrell enjoyed his best season as a pro. His
97 receptions and 1,451 yards were career highs, and he also scored 13
touchdowns. Terrell earned a trip to Hawaii for his first Pro Bowl. Garcia,
who blossomed in the starter’s role, also got the nod.

The offseason, however, was
hard on Terrell. Vilified in the press, he kept to himself, not eager
to face the scrutiny of reporters and fans. Still feeling betrayed by
Mariucci and the 49ers, he entered the 2001 season with a chip on his
shoulder. Teammates avoided him in the locker room, which isolated Terrell
further.

Prognosticators noted
the simmering discontent and predicted another down year for San Francisco.
But the 49ers won four of their first five, with a big boost from Terrell.
He posted back-to-back games of more than 100 receiving yards in October,
including a huge day against Atlanta when he tied the contest with a TD
in the fourth quarter and produced a victory with a 52-yard touchdown
in OT.

A week later, Terrell
landed himself in hot water again. San Francisco blew a 19-point lead
in Chicago, losing in overtime after Terrell mishandled a pass that Bears
free safety Mike Brown intercepted and returned for the game-winning score.
Afterwards, Terrell accused Mariucci of protecting good friend and Chicago head coach Dick Jauron,
whose job was on the line. Mariucci bristled at
the comment. He openly questioned Terrell in the papers.

Ironically, the feuding
seemed to energize the Niners. They finished at 12-4 to break their
postseason drout. The play of Garcia and Hearst—who defied the odds and returned
to top form—had a lot to do with San Francisco’s
turnaround. But no one made more of a difference than Terrell. Despite
a gimpy foot and ankle, he was the team’s go-to guy. On the year,
he recorded 93 receptions for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was selected
to the Pro Bowl for the second time and earned first team All-Pro honors
from the Associated Press.

Unfortunately, the
playoffs brought more disappointment, as the Niners lost to Packers, 25-15.
Terrell caught just four passes, and a ball thrown in his direction that would have given San
Francisco a lead was tipped away. In the locker room, he talked to the
press about how his frustration. Center Jeremy Newberry overheard the
conversation and advised Terrell to keep quiet. That was it. Terrell called
his agent and demanded a trade out of San Francisco.

In the offseason,
Mariucci interviewed for the Tampa Bay coaching job. When he didn’t
get it, he flew to Terrell's home to patch things up. The coach was smart
enough to realize two things. The Niners were a much better team with
Terrell, so he wasn’t going anywhere. Also, since the receiver was
staying, their relationship had to become at least civil.

The talk heading into
the 2002 campaign was that San Francisco could contend for a title as
long as Terrell remained focused. The defense had improved greatly in
’01, and with rookies Mike Rumph and Saleem Rasheed in camp. the
unit was even deeper. On offense, Hearst was fully healthy, and Garcia
was emerging as one of the NFL’s best signal callers.

The 49ers started
the campaign at 2-2. Playing in Seattle in a key division showdown, Terrell
hauled in the game-winning touchdown in the 28-21 victory. What he did
after his score, however, caused a national uproar. Terrell pulled a Sharpie
out of his sock, signed the ball, and handed it to his financial adviser
sitting in an end zone luxury suite rented by Shawn Springs, the cornerback
he had just beaten. To no one’s surprise, Terrell was crucified
for his display. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said he dishonored the game.
ESPN analysts Sean Salisbury, Dennis Green and Tom Jackson ripped him,
too. Stung by the criticism, Terrell allowed a camera into his home so
he could defend himself on live TV.

After the Sharpie
incident, Terrell dug himself a bigger hole. Bringing race into conversation,
he said the NFL targeted black players with rules restricting touchdown
celebrations. His arguments fell mostly on deaf ears.

Terrell Owens, 2000 Ultra

As
he had done in the past, Terrell separated himself from his off-field problems
and put together a monster season. He established a career-high with 100
receptions, which were good for 1,300 yards and 13 TDs. The Niners, meanwhile, went
10-6, finishing first in the weak NFC West.

San Francisco's first
playoff game was a thriller against the Giants. Down by 14 points at halftime,
Terrell challenged his teammates to fight their way back. But when the
49ers found themselves behind 38-14, the game looked like it was over.
Terrell spearheaded a furious comeback. Showing leadership he had
never displayed before displayed, he reeled in nine passes for 177 yards and two
touchdowns, plus a pair of two-point conversions. San Francisco won 39-38
in miraculous fashion, and Terrell was among the heroes.

Unfortunately, the
49ers got throttled a week later in Tampa Bay, as the surging Bucs crushed
them 31-6. Terrell had four catches for 35 yards in the game, which was
over by halftime.

The aftershocks of
that loss were felt in the weeks that followed. Mariucci was fired, in
part because he let the clock run out with 50 seconds remaining in the
second quarter in Tampa. The implication to many watching the game was that he
was throwing in the towel. In Mariucci's place, the Niners hired Dennis Erickson.
The new coach kept offensive coordinator Greg Knapp around, but on the
condition that he go down field with the ball more often. That was good news to Terrell.

In the preseason,
a quarterback controversy developed between Garcia and Tim Rattay. The sticky situation
divided the team. Terrell added to the problem after a regular-season
loss to Minnesota when he screamed at Knapp about the game plan. When Erickson
failed to exert enough control over the squad, the campaign spiraled
downward even farther. The Niners went 7-9 and missed the playoffs. Terrell had a poor
year by his standards. Though he made his fourth straight Pro Bowl, his
numbers fell off (80 receptions,1,102 yards and nine touchdowns). Again
he was unhappy.

Terrell and the team
mutually agreed to part ways after the season. Predictably, even that
didn’t go smoothly. Set to become a free agent, Terrell forfeited
his status when his agent failed to file the proper paperwork. Still a
49er, he was traded to Baltimore, a move that infuriated him because he
wanted to play for the Eagles. Eventually, a settlement was reached with
Terrell going to Philadelphia in a three-way deal including the Ravens.

Terrell was elated
to become an Eagle. Eager to team up with Donovan McNabb, he also knew
that running back Bryant Westbrook had the potential to be a star. The
defense, meanwhile, was bolstered with the addition of Jevon Kearse, a
move which had many talking Super Bowl in Philly.

Terrell, however,
wasn't going to change to ingratiate himself to his new teammates or fans.
He complained during the preseason about not seeing the ball enough, and
in an interview with Playboy, he hinted that his former quarterback
Garcia was gay. Terrell later recanted that statement.

Terrell
might have wanted the ball on every play, but he nearly missed the first
few downs of his Philly career. Prior to opening day against the Giants,
Terrell left his home with what he thought was ample time to make it to
Lincoln Financial Field. A few hours later he found himself stuck in a
massive traffic jam, surrounded by fans also on their way to the game.
Terrell exited the highway, flagged down a police officer, and arranged
his own personal escort to the stadium. His harried arrival had little
effect on his Eagles debut. In a 31-17 blowout, he caught eight passes
for 68 yards and three scores. Terrell's impact on the Philadelphia
offense was obvious—his three TDs were more than any Philadelphia
wide receiver had in the entire '03 season.

The Eagles beat the
Vikings a week later on Monday Night Footbal, 27-16. Terrell had another
big game, with four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. With the win,
Philly started 2-0 for the first time in 11 years. Afterwards, reporters
fished for a quote form Terrell knocking McNabb and head coach Andy Reid
for the lack of balls thrown his way. He didn't take the bait.

Terrell Owens, 2002 Ultra

Philly took its next
five games, giving the team an early stronghold on the NFC East and the
best record in the conference. In each contest during the stretch, Terrell
topped 100 yards receiving. He also stepped up his touchdown celebrations.
Against the Bears, Terrell did six sit-ups after hitting paydirt, one
for each of his TD catches to that point in the season. In Cleveland,
Browns fans let him have it for his comments about their new quarterback Garcia.
Terrell caught two touchdown passes in the first half, and then tore down
signs berating him. A week later, in a 15-10 over Baltimore, he mocked
Ray Lewis's "Squirrel" dance, gyrating in the end zone after
a TD that put the contest on ice.

Philly's seven-game winning streak ended in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers
rolled to a 27-3 victory. The Eagles rebounded with a 49-21 laugher over Dallas. Terrell
had a huge game, with six recpetions for 134 yards and three scores. But
no one was talking about his play on the field the next day. Again, Terrell
touched off a firestorm of controversy before the Monday Night affair
when he appeared in a racy promotion with Nicollette Sheridan of the ABC
show, Desperate Housewives. The spot—which had the two
in the locker room before the contest—featured suggestive dialogue
and ended with the curvy actress dropping the towel she was wrapped in.

Some saw the promo
as repulsive. Some thought it was funny. Others didn’t care. Ultimately,
amid league pressure, Terrell apologized, as did ABC and Sheridan.

Terrell's best effort of the campaign came a short time later against the Packers. In a 47-17
whitewash, he caught eight passes for 161 yards, including his 14th touchdown
of the season. It was his seventh 100-yard receiving game of '04, breaking
the franchise mark held jointly by Mike Quick and Irving Fryar.

Two weeks later, disaster
struck for Terrell and the Eagles at home against the Cowboys. On the
second play of the third quarter, he hauled in a short pass and tried
to elude Roy Williams. But when the Dallas safety ripped down Terrell
awkwardly, his right foot stuck in the turf and he fractured his leg.
In an instant, it appeared that Philly's Super Bowl juggernaut had been
derailed. Though the team had homefield advantage locked up throughout
the playoffs, many in the media felt the Eagleswould be unable to mount a consistent
offensive attack without their game-breaking receiver.

McNabb rose to the occasion in Philadelphia's postseason opener, a 27-14
win over Minnesota. Playing a near-perfect game, he completed 21 passes
for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Freddie Mitchell picked up
the slack in Terrell’s absence, catching five passes for 68 yards
and a touchdown. Westbrook also caught a touchdown pass and rushed for
70 yards.

Terrell hoped to make
it back for the NFC Championship Game against the Falcons, but his leg
was not ready. The Eagles instead relied on their defense against Atlanta,
confusing quarterback Michael Vick with a vareity of blitzes and zone
coverages. McNabb, meanwhile, authored another solid performance, tossing
a couple of TDs and posting a 111.1 passer rating. Finally, after more than
20 years of frustration, Philly fans celebrated their club's return to
the Super Bowl.

For the next two
weeks, newspapers, magazines and TV sports shows devoted much of their
energy to debate over whether Terrell would play in the the title game
against the Patriots. He insisted he would suit up, even claiming that
God was on his side. The team doctors disagreed, advising him to sit this
one out. Terrell listened to the man upstairs. He was in uniform and ready
to go by kickoff on Sunday night in Jacksonville.

While many football
experts predicted Reid would use Terrell as a decoy, the coach worked
him into the game plan almost immediately. Despite a limp that became
more pronounced when he turned on the jets, Terrell was the best player
on the field for the Eagles. He ran screens, slants, fades and go-routes.
New England's banged-up secondary often lined up 10 yards off him, offering
up an easy completion for McNabb whenever he wanted it.

The underdog Eagles
hung tough with the Pats, sending the contest into the fourth quarter
tied at 14-14. But turnovers and poor clock management ultimately sealed
Philly's fate. New England took a 10-point lead in the final stanza, and
then held on for a 24-21 victory. Terrell finished with nine catches for
122 yards, a heroic effort by any account.

The 2005 offseason was a raucous one for Terrell and the Eagles. His oil-and-water relationship with McNabb worsened when he commented publicly that he was not the one who got tired during the Super Bowl. Terrell maintained that his remark was taken out of context.

Later, through agent Drew Rosenhaus, he demanded his contract be renegotiated. The press jumped on Terrell for his greed, pointing out that he already had a $49 million deal. But it was heavily backloaded and incentivized, and the $3.5 million he was due to make was far below what many less-productive ends were earning.

Terrell talked about boycotting camp, but decided to show. As negotiations dragged on, he became critical of Philadelphia owner Jeff Lurie, and then antagonized Philly fans on his radio program. After a November locker room tussle with ex-Eagle Hugh Douglas and another public jab at McNabb, the team suspended Terrell for four games. Later, he was deactivated him for the remainder of the season.

In his abbreviated campaign, Terrell still managed to attain some impressive personal milestones. He caught his 100th TD pass and logged his 10,000th receiving yard. The Eagles were 4–3 when they ended Terrell’s season. They won just two more games that year.

The
Eagles knew what they were getting when they signed Terrell, on and off
the field. After the Super Bowl, for instance, he criticized the media
for shortchanging him. When Brett Favre played in pain, he argued, the
Green Bay quarterback was hailed as the paragon of gridiron courage. In his case,
he observed, some media members actually accused him before the game of
being selfish and egotistical for wanting to return to the field.

But even if Terrell had a point, Philadelphia wasn’t interested in listening. The team released Terrell in the spring of 2006. Jerry Jones scooped him up for the Cowboys a few days later. Dallas inked him to a three-year, $25 million deal. Terrell hurt his finger in the second game of the year, and doctors said he would be out at least a month. He vowed to return in time for the Eagles game and beat that deadline by a week. Against the Tennessee Titans, he reeled in three TD passes from veteran Drew Bledsoe.

Terrell Owens,
2004 The Sporting News

The Eagles game was a disappointment, howevever, as Dallas lost 38–24. Terrell’s “homecoming” was accompanied by the expected chorus of boos. He caught just three passes. After the game, Terrell launched an angry tirade at his teammates. He asked why the Cowboys had bothered to sign him. Part of his anger was attributable to the fact he had re-injured his finger during the game. This time doctors wanted to shut him down for the year. Terrell said forget it and kept playing.

he following week, coach Bill Parcells made backup Tony Romo his starter. The Cowboys were reenergized. They won five of their next six and knocked off the undefeated Indianpolis Colts. Romo found an inviting target in Terrell, who ended up leading the NFL with 13 TD catches (on 85 receptions for 1,180 yard)s. Working the other side of the field for the Cowboys was a resurgent Terry Glenn. He gained over 1,000 yards as well.

Dallas headed for the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and had a shot at the NFC East crown until a last-week loss to the lowly Lions pushed them back to Wild Card status. Dallas faced the Seahawks in the opening round. It was a tense game that the Cowboys had a chance to win with a chip-shot 19-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Romo muffed the snap and was tackled as he tried to run the ball into the end zone.

Terrell opened the 2007 season with a two-touchdown performance against the Giants. Dallas scored 45 points in the game and continued to rack up big offensive outputs as the season progressed. In fact, the Cowboys scored 24 points or more in their first 13 games, which earned them a record of 12–1. Their lone defeat came at the hands of the Patriots in what most fans took to be a preview of the Super Bowl. In October, Terrell caught a scoring pass in six straight games as Dallas kept rolling. He tallied four touchdowns against the Redskins in a 28–23 victory, basically winning the game singlehandedly.

The Cowboys didn’t lose their second game until December and finished 13–3 after resting their key players for much of the final game, a meaningless loss to Washington. Terrell ended his second year with the Cowboys with 81 catches for 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 90 points ranked fifth in the NFL among non-kickers.

With homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, the Cowboys saw their road to the Super Bowl sufficiently greased. After a bye week, they faced the Giants, who they had already beaten twice. But the old axiom in the NFL, that it's hard to beat the same team three times in one year, proved to be the case. The teams started the second half knotted at 14–14. Dallas took the lead on a field goal, but New York hit paydirt with under two minutes left for a 21–17 win.

The Cowboys and their fans were shocked. But Dallas had overused fourth-quarter battering ram Marion Barber, and at crunch time Romo did not complete the throws he’d made all year. Terrell caught some heat, too. He had just four receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown in the game. Still, after the season, a record 13 Cowboys were selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Terrell was among them, earning this honor for the sixth time.

The Cowboys surged into the 2008 season focused on one thing—winning the Super Bowl. With Terrell primed to have another All-Pro season, and added depth at key positions, Dallas was considered a favorite in the NFC East.

Terrell’s first TD of 2008 came against the Browns on opening day. After the score, he did his best Usain Bolt impression, pretending to crouch down in the sprinter's blocks. The Cowboys were assessed a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebrating. For his next touchdow,n Terrell "broke the tape" as he crossed the goal line. This gesture did not draw a flag.

The Cowboys stumbled through the year with a 9–7 record and missed the playoffs. Terrell’s final numbers were 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns—giving him 139 for his career. He averaged 15.2 yards per catch, which was roughly his career average. But behind the numbers there was friction between him and Romo, and also with tight end Jason Witten. Terrell was not a fan of Jason Garrett’s play-calling, either. Ultimately this proved to be his ticket out of Dallas.

Tony Romo, 2007 Total

Terrell claims he expected to be a Cowboy again in 2009, but the team had other ideas. Dallas released him in early March. Four days later the Buffalo Bills snapped him up, inking Terrell a one-year deal for more than $6 million. A few months later, his VH1 reality effort, "The T.O. Show," premiered. Fans got to follow Terrell and his cadre of pals and publicists in a unique image-burnishing adventure.

Terrell joined the Bills for training camp, and then missed a couple of weeks with a sprained toe. Watching from the sidelines robbed him of valuable time to create some rhythm with quarterback Trent Edwards. Coach Dick Jauron and Offensive Coordinator Turk Schonert hoped that Terrell could stay healthy and productive enough to take the heat off of fellow wideout Lee Evans when the Bills got into the red zone. Evans’s number in 2008 had been almost identical to Terrell’s with one glaring exception—he scored only three TDs. The Buffalo brain trust wanted that number to change.

Terrell caught two passes in the opener, a 25–24 Monday Night Football loss to the Patriots. A week later, he snagged his first scoring pass as the Bills evened their record against the Buccaneers. Terrell got behind the Tampa Bay defense for the 43-yard touchdown. His most dynamic scoring play in 2009 was a 98-yard TD pass in Week 11 in a loss to the Jaguars. It was the longest touchdown in team history and the longest of Terrell’s career.

By that point, however, the season had already gone south for Buffalo. Jauron had been fired, Edwards was benched, and the TO-Evans combo was yielding less than a touchdown a game. Terrell would finish with five scores and Evans with seven.

Terrell finished the year with 55 catches and 829 yards to lead Buffalo in both categories—not too shabby considering the Bills started three different quarterbacks. In the next-to-last game of the season, Terrell reeled in his 1000th career reception, joining five other NFL players in this elite group.

After the 2009 season, Terrell cast his fate upon the free agent waters. Concerns about his age and personality scared some clubs off, but few believed that he would go unsigned. They were right. Terrell inked a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals over the summer. Every team knows what he brings and what he costs. But what does Terrell really want? A little understanding ... and the football thrown his way whenever he’s open.

TERRELL THE PLAYER

Terrell’s 6-3, 226-pound body was made for football. He has a great work ethic, and it shows in his muscular physique. Terrell trains constantly—even doing push-ups in between shots while playing pool. He has the same type of attitude on the field. He prides himself on never loafing or taking off a snap.

Terrell is very athletic, which poses problems for opposing defensive backs. Playing basketball and running track in college helped him develop a multitude of skills. He is strong enough to muscle smaller corners and fast enough to blow by bigger ones. A great leaper, he also has terrific hands. Once he catches the ball, he is a load to bring down.

Few receivers do it all. Entering his late thirties, Terrell still does—and then some. But questions about his attitude will likely dog him for a long time. Even if he finally proves that team always come first with him, many will wonder when the next locker-room explosion or bizarre celebration will happen.